Water changes everything: Mariget's Story

July 13, 2014

One of my favourite aspects of the GiveMeTap water projects is the community ownership through the elected water committee. An even more awesome part is how we ensure Women have a place at the decision table.

Mariget Wisdom is a female member of her committee and told us about the real sense of communal ownership of the water pump. People within Mariget’s community are trained to use, maintain and fix the pump so any future problems can be dealt with locally. This saves time, money & resources. It also teaches them skills and helps the village become self-sufficient.

The good quality of the water that is pumped through the Elephant Pump allowed the standards of hygiene within the community to really improve. Mariget explained how this meant she saves a lot of money on soap which she used to compensate for dirty water.

By having clean water access, women like Mariget are able to allocate their family’s resources in a more effective way. The also have the opportunity to become a key player in the health of the community as respected members of the water committee.